it is possible we pass the fiscal cliff with a good deal, and folks like goldman sachs and lloyd blankfein say the economy will takeoff, and if that is the case people will leave benefits because they have a job. host: if this is not addressed in the fiscal cliff debate, will it come up in the debt ceiling debate? guest: all of this depends on how the fiscal cliff sorts itself out. yesterday, you have senators say we want on income benefits extended. if the fiscal cliff debate is only limited to tax rates and deficit reduction, and not the debt ceiling, this will come up again. president obama once the debt ceiling to be part of this agreement. the reason why is simple, because that is where republicans have leverage in february. he needs republicans to extend the debt ceiling for the government to function with all going into default. republicans know this, and in theory they could separate the two to maximize their leverage. host: time for a couple more calls in this segment of the "washington journal," we will continue the unemployment insurance discussion in the following segment. laur